A lot of guys over 40 who start using kettlebells don’t really care about muscle - but they really should .
Especially if they want to “lose weight,” “get back in shape,” or dare I even say it, “build tone.”
Why?
Muscle is your body’s “calorie-burning engine.”
It uses up extra calories both at rest and at work.
And the more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you burn at rest, and the more you expend while you work - Swing, Press, Snatch a kettlebell.
And those two things are critically important for “losing weight.”
And they're also key for strength gains.
The more muscle you have on your body, the greater strength potential you have.
With that foundation set, I got this comment over one of my IG posts the other day - the answer to which I thought you’d find insightful.
That’s an excellent question.
When discussing muscle growth, we need to think in terms of “systemic” vs. “localized.”
“Systemic” is the impact a load or stimulus has on the body as a whole.
“Localized” is the impact a load or stimulus has on a region - like the shoulders / shoulder girdle.
The Kettlebell Clean + Press is categorized as a “multi-joint lift” - which is made up of two or more multi-joint movements - exercises that use multiple joints.
Contrast a “compound exercise” with an “isolation exercise” - like a biceps curl - which only uses (in theory) one joint.
This is important to know because the energy demand and the stimulus for change in your nervous system is greater using a multi-joint exercise when compared to an “isolation exercise” .
However…
The demand on the muscle tissue is usually the inverse -
There’s higher demand on muscle tissue in isolation exercises compared to compound exercises.
In fact, you could say it’s a continuum that looks like this:
Compound Lift → Compound Exercise → Isolation Exercise
Increased CNS demand / stimulus → Lower CNS demand / stimulus
Less muscle tissue demand → Greater muscle tissue demand
This clarifies why bodybuilders are usually larger than powerlifters but powerlifters are more powerful .
Bodybuilders press prioritize making their muscles as massive as possible.
Powerlifters emphasize making their muscles - with relation to the Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift - as powerful as possible.
Now, with that as our context , let’s get back to our question:
The pros of the Clean + Press over the Strict Press are as follows:
1- Greater systemic stress (compound lift vs. compound exercise), and therefore greater nervous system response for change .
2- Less localized upper body fatigue , so usually, but not always, you can get more Presses in a set of Clean + Press vs. a set of Presses.
3- Use “ground reaction force” or “force wave” from the Clean to enhance power output in the Press. This too often reduces upper body fatigue and boosts the number of Presses you can do.
4- Improved conditioning outcome from alternating between Cleans and Presses.
5- Train the posterior chain (hips, hamstrings, erectors, calves).
… To name but five .
Does that suggest you should never do “just” Presses?
No, not at all.
Here’s the advantages of Presses over the Clean + Press:
1- If you’re concentrating on increasing your Press Max, then do repeat Presses.
2- If you want to “just” focus on pure localized muscle building, then do “just” Presses.
3- If you’re learning how to Press, you need to concentrate on your technique - sets of unbroken Presses are the way to do.
… To name but a few.
Personally?
At this stage in my life, I’m all about maximizing efficiency , so I prefer Clean + Press vs. the Press.
If you can’t decide , here’s another option that some may consider the perfect balance:
Clean THEN Press.
Do all you Cleans FIRST, and then, without dropping your bells , do your set of Presses.
(This is called a complex.)
This still gives you a overall reaction, but you also get a targeted effect too.
The only downside is you’ve accumulated fatigue by doing your Cleans first, so your Presses may suffer.
Which is best for you?
Clean + Press, “just” Presses, or Cleans THEN Presses?
It all rests on your specific goals.
For most guys our age - probably 90% - are best served by “just” Clean + Presses.
Stay Strong,
Geoff Neupert.